


just some nerd

by sparksy00



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: M/M, POV Jonas Noah Vasquez, SKAM Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29501553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparksy00/pseuds/sparksy00
Summary: Jonas isn't blind, no matter how sneaky Isak thinks he is.
Relationships: Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen, Isak Valtersen & Jonas Noah Vasquez
Comments: 15
Kudos: 143





	just some nerd

**Author's Note:**

> Because let's be honest: there's no way Jonas would've remembered Even coming up to them to return Isak's hat unless he had reason to.
> 
> This is my first attempt at a SKAM fic. If anything feels OOC or confusing, please let me know. This is definitely not one of my better pieces of writing. I'm just trying to get a feel for these characters. Any feedback goes a long way. Hope you enjoy!

Isak's not paying attention. And sure, none of them really are, except Magnus, but that's only because he likes Vilde, not because he cares about her whole "the revue is the best thing that can happen to you" speech. But Isak is on a whole other level of distracted. His eyes are trained on something across the courtyard, but before Jonas can try and get a good look at what he's so enamored by, Emma and her friends walk up. It appeases Jonas' brain to say Isak was watching Emma, but not completely. There's something not quite right about the whole thing, but Jonas shakes it off for the time being. After all, it's just a feeling. Jonas has been wrong before.

~

Maybe Jonas wasn't so wrong.

It should be innocent. Just a kind third year returning Jonas' stolen cap to Isak. It _should_ be innocent. But it doesn't add up. Jonas knows Isak was wearing that snapback when they had left school on Friday, and Isak bailing on the pre-party and lying about it? Even if he couldn't place where he'd last seen Isak wearing the hat and if the party had gone through as planned, the struck look on Isak's face is a sure sign that something isn't right. That this tall, blond "revue nerd" is more than that to him. But Isak's been on edge recently, so Jonas doesn't push. And then Magnus lets out a loud "fy faen" and Jonas' attention is snatched away from Isak. Still, it lingers in the back of his mind.

~

Okay, once might be explained away as a coincidence, but twice? No, Jonas is willing to overlook a lot of things, but this is not one of them.

He almost misses it. Ever since he'd heard about the pre-party at Isak's apartment that Isak had told none of the boys about, Jonas has been smarting, torn between anger and fear that Isak is pulling away from him. So when he gets to their lockers on Monday, and Isak is already there, talking to some boy, Jonas almost ignores it. Something makes him look again. There's something strange about Isak's face. Jonas tries not to stare (although it's not like Isak is paying attention to notice), but he has never seen Isak make that expression before. As he gets closer, Jonas hears the strange boy mention the Halloween party. He waits expectantly for Isak to scoff and roll his eyes at the idea of dressing up and going to a school sponsored event, but once again, Isak surprises him by shrugging noncommittally and asking the boy in return.

Huh. They're going to pre-party together. Vaguely, Jonas wonders if this boy was at the pre-party the previous weekend. When the boy walks away, banging his fist into Isak's perpetually stuck locker, Jonas finally gets a decent look at him. It's revue nerd boy. The boy with the power to make Isak speechless on two separate encounters.

It takes everything within Jonas not to ask about the boy when he talks to Isak. He wants so badly to know what's going on, but he can still remember the last time he'd tried prying into Isak's life before Isak was ready. He remembers the tension in Isak's shoulders, the grim set of his jaw. But neither of those had hurt as much as when Jonas discovered Isak had deleted half of his playlists and suddenly his music only contained N.W.A. and other hip hop.

~

**Jonas**

you were at the halloween party yesterday, right

**Eva**

ja

**Jonas**

did you see isak there?

**Eva**

no why

sana mentioned he was going

I did see that first year alone tho so idk

**Jonas**

nvm thanks

Jonas puts his phone away. He looks across the room where Mahdi is annoyed and Magnus is disappointed.

"So he's not coming then." Mahdi's not asking. Neither is Magnus when he makes a noise of seconding Mahdi's statement.

"He's probably busy," Jonas offers lamely. He's disappointed too, but unlike Mahdi and Magnus, he's more worried. And not for the first time, Jonas is scared he's losing Isak. Whoever revue nerd boy is, Jonas has a feeling he's more to Isak than Jonas is.

~

Jonas subtly pinches his own arm. Nope, not a dream. Isak really is sitting in the chair next to him, nursing a beer in all of his grumpy glory. Although Isak is never as engaged as the rest of them, he does seem a little more checked out of the conversation than usual. There's something different about his silence. Even as Jonas laughs and talks with Magnus and Mahdi, he can't help but notice that Isak's grumpiness is tinged with sadness. The way he seems tired rather than annoyed when the boys nag him about Emma.

He knows he should step in, give Isak some support against the boys who keep pushing, but he doesn't. Jonas wants to say it's because he missed some of the signs, but he didn't. He lets them push because he's scared to push himself. Maybe that makes him a bad friend. Jonas just wants Isak back.

~

The party is a disaster and Jonas is terrified that his Isak is gone forever.

~

Isak is home. Jonas knows because he had asked a confused Noora to check. Isak is home, hiding in his room, and Jonas is standing outside the apartment door, too much of a coward to knock. What would he even say?

 _Hey man, are you okay?_ Isak will say yes and that will be that.

 _So, that was weird, you getting violent and all..._ Too awkward, Isak will shut down.

 _What the fuck is up with you lately?_ Isak won't hesitate to slam the door in his face.

 _Wanna play Fifa?_ Woefully inadequate.

There's no good conversation opener, so Jonas leaves. Just one more regret in his mental filing cabinet labelled Isak.

~

Once when they were ten, Jonas and Isak had fought. It wasn't an important argument, but it had ended with Jonas storming away in a fury. A few weeks later, after they'd made up, neither one could remember what they'd fought about. What had been seared into Jonas' memory, though, was the look on Isak's face when they saw each other again for the first time after fighting. The hesitation and the fear of rejection. It was a look Jonas never wanted to be the cause of again, not on his best friend. Yet here they are. It's Monday morning and Isak is walking up to their locker section with that same expression on his face.

Jonas reassures him as quickly as he can, but then Isak starts trying to make excuses. Excuses that seem reasonable, but Jonas knows they're lies. It feels like everything Isak tells him these days are lies.

But once again, Jonas is too scared to push, so he reminds Isak that he's there if he wants to talk and leaves it at that.

~

Jonas doesn't see Isak again until Wednesday, and even then, it doesn't really count. Jonas is standing by one of the school building's windows when he spots Isak coming out of the canteen. He's walking quickly, a hurt look on his face, and he's carrying a plate with a cheese toastie on it. Jonas frowns and casts his eyes back up the path to the canteen where a boy is walking away from the open doorway. A tall boy with a blond quiff. Jonas hasn't thought of revue nerd boy in a while, but could that have been him? When his eyes find Isak again, he's walking up to a garbage can where he dumps the cheese toastie.

Jonas' heart aches.

~

It happens again the next day. Well, not exactly, because this time he spots Isak coming out of the school doctor's office.

Just to be clear, Jonas doesn't think there's anything wrong with visiting the school doctor. He knows the girls went to visit the doctor a few times last year and he knows it's good to reach out to actual medical professionals. But _Isak_ going to the school doctor? No, that's not something Jonas would have ever seen happening. If even Isak feels like he needs to get help, Jonas can only guess how things are going. He wants to run up to his friend, shake him until he realizes he doesn't need to let it get so bad.

But he doesn't. Seems to be a recurring theme in Jonas' life.

~

It's Friday afternoon and Jonas is pretending to unlock his bike from the rack. He can feel Isak's eyes on him and he takes as much time as possible, fearing if he moves too soon, Isak will leave. He doesn't, and the next thing Jonas knows, they're walking to get kebab. As they order their food, Jonas begins to let himself relax. At any rate, Isak seems tense enough for the both of them and Jonas is just happy that Isak made the first move. They find a bench to sit and eat and Jonas launches into a story from a recent party. Isak is listening, but Jonas knows the reason Isak wants to talk will come out soon.

And then it does. Jonas guesses Emma first. It's the obvious guess to keep up the illusion that Isak is as sneaky as he thinks he is. Guessing Vilde makes Isak laugh, which was the goal.

"Det er ikke en jente."

Jonas keeps eating, mind instantly jumping to revue nerd guy, but he guesses himself first, just to prove he's not bothered by Isak being gay. While Isak avidly denies he has a crush on Jonas, Jonas studies his friend out of the corner of his eye. He looks relieved, not unexpectedly, but most of all he looks settled. As if keeping this from Jonas had been eating at him. For some reason, that settles something within Jonas as well. Isak didn't want to pull away from him. He just needed time.

Then their laughter dies down and Jonas knows he's meant to guess again

_Keep it cool, Jonas. Don't give yourself away._

"Is it that, uh... guy from Vilde's group?"

"Ja."

The confirmation from Isak is affirming. Jonas still knows his best friend, even when they pull apart a bit.

~

_Even._

It's a nice name, Jonas decides as he bikes home from the park. At the very least, it means he can stop calling him revue nerd boy in his head. Even. Jonas isn't sure why, but having a name feels anticlimactic. This boy, this mysterious figure in Isak's life with the power to toy with Isak's usually locked up emotions, has a name. Short, just two syllables, no hard consonants. Just, Even. It's very... human. Flawed.

And a girlfriend is definitely a flaw not to be overlooked when evaluating possible boyfriends for your best friend.

~

When Isak glances at him before coming out to the boys, Jonas feels the world tilt back into place. Not that Isak was obligated to tell him first, but because this is how it's supposed to be. Jonas and Isak. They had each other's backs and that was that.

~

They're standing in the stairwell when Jonas finally gets to meet ~~revue nerd boy~~ Even. At first he doesn't notice someone approaching their group, too busy laughing at Isak's apparent knowledge of scientific studies about attending class. Then Isak's eyes catch on something, so Jonas casts his gaze in the same direction. Ah.

Introductions are weirdly formal and for a minute things are painfully awkward, but then Magnus pulls a Magnus and the ice is broken. Throughout their conversation, Jonas watches Even closely, but Even's eyes never stray from Isak. Jonas mentally nods in approval. Even has fallen hard for his best friend. As he should.

~

The next couple weeks are a whirlwind. One day, Isak is glowing, and a few days later, he looks worse than he did when he'd been pining over Even. Isak tells them Even's bipolar and seems to believe Even had never felt anything (even without the whole bipolar thing, Jonas would've called bullshit on that). A few more days pass and Isak still looks tired, but less troubled. Jonas knows Even is staying with him and he can't help but smile fondly, thinking about Isak in caretaker mode. Then some time after that, Isak comes strolling up to the group, glowing. He turns down the dance girls' invitation with grace and simply laughs off the pressure from the boys.

Isak looks so at home with himself and it makes Jonas feel light.

~

The Christmas party is perfect, and Jonas is glad they're there and not at some random party. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed. Jonas passes the girls sitting around a table laughing as he makes his way to the kitchen where the rest of the boys are. As they're giving advice to Magnus, Isak's face falls into an incredibly sappy smile and Jonas turns to see Even walking up to them. The conversation remains on Magnus, but when Magnus leaves to talk to Vilde with Mahdi and Jonas close behind him, Jonas sneaks a look back. Even is standing close to Isak and Isak is smiling up at him.

Jonas shakes his head in amusement before turning away. Just some revue nerd from Vilde's group. Yeah right.


End file.
